Top Bowling Ball Finger Inserts
Finger grips and inserts are a crucial component to many bowlers' games. This is because they serve a lot of important purposes that can be beneficial to beginners and professionals alike. And those purposes are wide ranging, especially when you consider the different types of inserts and their benefits.
What are Bowling Finger Grips?
Finger grips, or finger inserts, are nothing more than an extra layer between your fingers and the bowling ball. Without inserts, you have the holes custom drilled to match the size and shape of your fingers. With inserts, a standard, larger hole is drilled, and an insert that fits in the drilled hole is customized to the size and shape of your fingers.
What is the purpose of bowling ball finger inserts?
They serve a variety of purposes. For beginners, for example, they provide a cushion between your fingers and knuckles and the ball. This cushion reduces friction and abrasions, something that is especially useful for those bowlers who have not yet developed calluses. Put simply, they are typically more comfortable.
What is the purpose of a bowling ball thumb insert?
Another purpose of inserts, particularly thumb inserts, is they provide a consistent feel across different balls. Bowling balls are constructed with varying materials and densities, and this can result in a significantly different feel on the thumb from ball to ball. But when you use a thumb insert, you literally replicate an identical feel, regardless of the materials or density of the ball. This creates consistent feel which results in more consistent performance. Thumb inserts are something that virtually all professionals use, and every bowler should use.
Additional bowling thumb insert benefits
Thumb inserts also provide another benefit: you can easily adjust for finger swelling by simply using removable inserts and having different sizes on hand. This way as the size of your thumb fluctuates, you can make the necessary adjustments in a matter of seconds. A lot of bowlers find this easier to manage than keeping tape on hand changing the size of the insert by adding or removing strips of tape to or from the inside of the insert.
Benefits of bowling finger inserts
Finger inserts serve slightly different purposes form thumb inserts. While they do help provide the same consistent feel from ball to ball, they also are meant to provide a larger amount of comfort, especially for beginners and those who tend to squeeze the ball during their swing. Most can agree that finger grips reduce the feel of the ball a bit during the swing and release. But the sharp edges of the ball without inserts can be very uncomfortable and can cause painful abrasions. Grip inserts are a lot more comfortable and virtually eliminate abrasions and blisters.
Better grip is another benefit that inserts/grips provide. Some people's fingers tend to prematurely slip out of the ball, causing a decreased amount of control. Grips provide a grippier texture, allowing the fingers to stay in place until you release the ball intentionally. This extra cushion the grips provide does wear down over time with use and will need to be replaced. The frequency will depend on how often you play and how aggressive your swing and release are.
Another benefit of inserts and grips is that they come in a large variety of colors. While this serves no functional purpose, a lot of people obsess over this type of thing. It's a good way to add a little spice to your ball. And let's face it, the better you think your ball looks, the more pleased and confident you will be using it.
Best Bowling Ball Thumb Insert
Vise IT (Interchangeable Thumb) & Tool
The Vise IT is a very popular choice for thumb inserts. As with most thumb inserts, they are very easy to remove and replace. While the Turbo insert requires a 90 degree rotation to lock and unlock the insert, the Vise IT requires a 270 degree rotation to lock and unlock it.
Vise Finger Inserts
Vise Grips Power Lift and Oval
The Vise Grips Power Lift and Oval inserts are a two-in-one product where each insert gives you two options to choose from. One end of the insert, the Power Lift end, will offers increased lift and improved hook. The other end, the Oval end, offers better control and a smoother roll. You can try both sides to see which you like better, or you can switch sides to help get out of a rut or for a changeup to spur improvement.
Turbo Finger Inserts
Turbo Switch Grip
The Turbo Switch is our second favorite thumb insert. Although we don't like it quite as much as the Vise IT, it still is a great option. Like the Vise, it is very easy to remove and replace. All you have to do is rotate it 90 degrees to lock it in place or unlock it.
Ultimate Interchangeable Thumb Inserts
The third most popular bowling insert for thumbs is the Ultimate Thumb Interchangeable. While it differs in what actually locks it in place, like the Turbo, all you have to do to lock it or unlock it is rotate it 90 degrees.
Vise vs Turbo Bowling Ball Finger Grips
Turbo grips are softer, offering a softer grip that many consider more comfortable. Vise Grips, conversely, are harder, but they are a lot more durable and last quite a bit longer than Turbo Grips. We've also noticed some variations when comparing Turbo Grips that are the same size; even though they are marked as the same size, some are slightly smaller and some are slightly larger. Vise Grips, on the other hand, are very consistent in their sizes and they don't have the variations (at least that are noticeable) in grips that are the same size.